Means for moving and distributing free flowing materials



E. RAHLSON Nov. 18, 1952 MEANS FOR MOVING AND DISTRIBUTING FREE FLOWING MATERIALS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 9 1950 I Jzzvezzio'r firzclz WaZzZsogz Nov. 18, 1952 E. RAHLSON MEANS FOR MOVING AND DISTRIBUTING FREE F-LOWING MATERIALS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 9, 1950 STORAGE HOUSE OVEEFL 0W CHUTE z I 1 nae-r4 GRAIN I l 2'1 oer sen/1v wer Gen/N l DRY/N6 am am TOM El? HEATER move/e Nov. 18, 1952 E. RAHLSON 2, ,3

MEANS FOR MOVING AND DISTRIBUTING FREE FLOWING MATERIALS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 9, 1950 Patented Nov. 1 8, 1952 MEANS FOR MOVING AND DISTRIBUTING FREE FLOWING MATERIALS 7 Erich Rahlson, Des Moines, Iowa Application June 9, 1950, Serial No. 167,105

11 Claims. (01. res-46 My invention relates to the art of moving and distributing free flowing materials and has special application to the moving and distributing of small grain, corn, seeds or the like in the operation of grain elevators although its application is not necessarily confined to that field of endeavor.

More specifically my invention is concerned with an improvement whereby the time for moving and distributing any given load from one point to another is greatly reduced without requiring additional machinery. With particular reference to grain elevator operations my invention is designed to more efficiently use existing grain elevating equipment in the movement of grain to or from dryers, scales, cleaners or the like in a manner not heretofore accomplished.

The definition of certain terms here at the outset will facilitate the discussion to follow and for that purpose the word house has reference to the tower-like structure in which grain is stored and in which there may be several different storage bins. There is grain elevating machinery within the house to carry the grain to the top of the several bins for filling. Also, aside and apart from the house, there is other grain elevating machinery for moving grain to and from the house and dryers, cleaners, scales, or the like. The word elevator when used herein has reference to this grain elevating machinery last mentioned.

Elevators are found in several different types and perhaps the most commonly known varieties embrace the bucket elevators, the pneumatic tube and the auger or screw-lift type. Of these, the bucket type in actual operations, is believed to be more widely used since they are considerably less expensive and therefore in my drawings I have chosen that type to illustrate the use of my invention, although it is not limited to that one species of elevators.

The modern elevator is frequently used with other grain processing devices such as dryers, cleaners, scales and the like and my invention has special utility in the means used for moving grain or the like to and from the house and these other devices. For purposes of simplicity in defining this invention, I have preferably chosen the use of the dryer and have illustrated the dryer and its use in my drawings. It is pointed out, however, that my invention is not intended ton be limited to use with grain drying equipment y.

As with elevators, thedryer may be found in various types of construction and operation and the particular form of dryer used is not material to the use of my invention.

In the operation and use of a grain dryer, there is usually a means for moving the grain from the house to the boot section of an elevator and a means for returning the grain from the dryer to the boot section of a second elevator. Such means may be belt, screw conveyor, drag or the like and is not here material. Also, there will be a means for delivering the grain from the elevator to the dryer. Two elevators are generally used in this situation and sometimes they are independent units separately operated and sometimes aremounted adjacent each other and operated by the same source of power and in still other cases the dual elevating machinery is found in a commonhousing and operated by the same source of power. This latter arrangement I have preferably used to illustrate my invention. With the bucket type elevator which I have shown in my drawings we find two sets of chains or belts each carrying a plurality of spaced apart buckets The buckets on each respective belt usually travel in enclosed housings known as legs and the leg for each elevator will have two chambers separated by partition so that the buckets travel upwardly in one chamber and downwardly in the other. These are often referred to as the up leg and the down leg respectively. When two elevators are used as referred to above, the le construction is duplicated and the legs for the two elevators are adjacent each other. This double elevator arrangement is a common form of construction and is known as dual legging to distinguish it from double legging or double stacking which has reference to a single elevator where the buckets travel in a two chambered leg. The dual legging thus is nothing more than two adjacent double legs. In the two elevator arrangement, the belts operate on dual pulleys each in a single housing that are respectively located at the top and bottom of the elevator structure. A single motor usually mounted in the elevator head operates both pulleys and consequently both sets of buckets move simultaneously in the same direction and at the same speed.

The grain drying equipment is, of course, used to reduce the moisture content of the rain so that it can be better stored and preserved. As previously pointed out, these dryers vary in construction and operation and the particular type used is not material to my invention. However, in the present stateofthe art, the dryer. functions substantially as follows: Wet grain to be, dried is fed from a source or supply such as a wet 3 storage bin in the house or the like to the elevator. From there it is carried to a distribution point for delivery to the dryer. After the grain has passed through the dryer which may be by ravity or power, it is fed back to the elevator and carried to the distribution point for delivery to a dry storage bin. Normally in the drying operation, the grain at the top level of the batch will be dried by the time it leaves the dryer, but when the grain is initially placed in the dryer, a good portion thereof passes out while it is still wet. Obviously, it must be re-run through the dryer and my invention embodies means for this purpose. I

In this drying process which I have just described generally it is pointed out that the two endless belts carrying buckets in the dual legging operate continuously and simultaneously since they are both connected to dual pulleys in single heads and are operated by the same power unit. The reason for this continuous operation at a constant speed is economy in operation. To provide variable speeds or intermittent operation would necessitate additional equipment and more personnal which would considerably increase the costs of operating the elevator. However, the buckets on one belt only are used for carrying the wet grain to the distribution point and likewise, the grain after leaving the dryer is carried in the buckets on only one belt back to the distribution point for delivery to the dry storage bin. This is of necessity true because in present type elevator installations the hoppers on opposite sides of the boot section each communicate respectively with only one set of buckets. Consequently grain fed into the boot from the wet bin falls into the buckets on only one belt and the same is true of dry grain fed from the dryer back to the hopper for movement ultimately to the dry storage bin. Obviously therefore, when the dryer is being initially filled, the buckets on only one belt are being used while the buckets on the other belt travel a parallel course and are empty. Also, when it is desired to completely empty the dryer, the grain is carried therefrom for delivery to the dry storage bin by the buckets on only one belt while the other buckets travel their course and are empty.

Since the buckets on any given elevator travel constantly and at a given speed, the length of time it takes to fill or empty the dryerjis determined by the unit bushel per hour capacity of the particular buckets on one endless belt. It is of course possible to speed up the buckets but even if this is done the time for filling or emptying is still determined and limited by the capacity of the buckets on the one belt. This is likewise true on elevators other than the bucket type when the two elevator construction is used. The time element involved in this operation is very material from a standpoint of expense in elevator operation and any savings of time that could be effected would increase considerably the ability of any given elevator to dry a larger amount of grain in any given time.

With these problems and drawbacks of the present state of the-art in mind, it is an object of my invention to provide in a system for moving and distributing fr'eefiowi'ng materials, which, system embodies 'the' use out pair 'of material handling devices that are adjacent each other and that operate simultaneously and in which one of such devices normally carries material to a distribution point for' delivery to a point of deposit and the other like device carries'the terial from said deposit point to a point of distribution for delivery to a second deposit point, a means whereby both of such devices can be respectively adapted at times to simultaneously carry the material to or from either point of deposit and thereby double the material moving capacity of such devices and consequently considerably shorten the time interval normally required for such operation.

More particularly my invention is adapted for use with grain elevators that are operated in conjunction with other grain processing equipment such as dryers, cleaners, scales or the like and wherein a dual set of elevators are used with one elevator only normally operating in the movement of grain to such processing device and the other elevator only being used in the movement of grain from such processing device to a place of storage. It is thus, the aim of my invention to make use of both elevators for moving the grain to or from such processing devices at times.

More specifically in accomplishing the objects above set forth it is my aim to provide first, two hoppers that are respectively mounted. on opposite sides of the elevator boot, and each of which is designed to communicate with both sets of elevators on the respective sides, and a hopper selector device for each hopper whereby grain delivered to either hopper can be selectively directed into either or both sets of elevators, and secondly, a discharge box in the head of the elevator that is capable of communicating with each set of elevators and which has an adjustable divider or flipper plate whereby grain delivered to this box by either or both of the elevators separately or simultaneously can be selectively directed to a common point of deposit.

A further object of my invention is to provide improvements in grain elevating machinery having the capabilities above described that also makes possible the use of the elevator for continuous or batch drying without the need for additional special equipment.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a hopper selector and discharge box selector for use as set forth in which the selective adaptations possible can be quickly and easily manually accomplished without the use of any tools.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dual legging grain elevator construction that consists of two adjacent legs each having two chambers, which unit is shown embodying the use of my hopper selector on each side of the boot portion and my discharge box just below the elevator head,

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of my discharge box taken on the line 22 of Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the hopper and hopper selector taken on the line 3 -3 of Fig. 4'is'a diagrammatic view showing a stor age house for grain with compartments for 'wet and dry grain, elevators, drying tower, discharge box and conveyors with-directional arrows to indicatethe flow of wet grain when the dryer 'is being initially. filled. Also. in this figure are enlarged diagrammatic views of the hopper selector and discharge box with directional arrows to more clearly illustrate the flow of grain therethrough as represented in this Fig. 4,

Fig. is a top view of one of the hopper selectors showing the selector plate positioned to direct grain into the right leg as seen in this drawing,

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are each diagrammatic drawings showing the basic elements of Fig. 4. and in which Fig. 6 has directional arrows indicating the flow of grain when the dryer is being operated for continuous drying; Fig. 7 illustrates the flow of grain when the dryer is being emptied and no wet-grain is entering the lifts; and Fig. 8 shows the flow of grain for re-running through the dryer or for what is known as batch dryer. In each of the Figs. 6, 7 and 8 enlarged diagrammatic drawings of the hopper selector and discharge box are shown to more clearly illustrate their use and operation.

Referring now to the drawings, the diagrammatic view of Fig. 4 illustrates one form of organization for grain elevator operations for which my invention is adapted. The numeral [0 designates a grain storage house which may be divided into different bins and which may have the dry grain bin II and wet grain bin l2 as illustrated. Elevating machinery is shown at l3 and atthe top thereof is placed a discharge box Mfrom which the spouts l5, l6, and I! respectively extend to the dry bin ll, wet bin l2 and the drying tower l8. At the bottom of the elevator I3 is found the boot I!) which has the hopper 20 that receives grain from the wet bin I2 by an endless belt 2i and a like hopper 22 on the opposite side of the boot I9 which receives grain from the dryer l8 by the endless belt 23.

While I have shown belt means at 2| and '23, some installations may use screw conveyors or drags for this purpose or may even provide a gravity flow. The means for feeding the grain to the elevator boot is not, however, material to the use of my invention.

A heating unit 24 is connected with the dryer to circulate hot airabout the grain as it passes through the drying tower IS. The use of the hoppers 20 and 22 and the discharge box [4 in connection with this form of organization embodies the features of my invention and the details for these structures are specifically illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In Fig. 1 the elevator [3 consists of the substantially rectangular boot housing l9, the head section 25 and the vertical elevator legs 26, 21 and 28, respectively, that extend between the boot and head and communicate therewith. A fourth leg 29 not shown in Fig. 1 can be seen in Figs. 4, 6 and 7. While I have given separate numbers to the legs 26 to 29 inclusive for the purpose of clarity in description. the legs 26 and 21 are in effect the two chambers of one double leg or double stacking.

The same is true of the legs 29 and 28 and the combination of the four constitute what I have referred to as dual legging. An endless belt 30 mounted around pulleys in the head Y25 and boot 19 carries a plurality of spaced apart buckets Hand is rotated by a motor usually located in the head so that the buckets 3i move up the leg 25 and down the leg 21. This is sometimes referred to as the wet leg as normally the wet grain from the wet bin is delivered to this series of buckets-for movement to the dryer. Likewise the leg 26 is sometimes referred to as the up leg and the leg 21 as the down as mentioned previously. The belt '32 with the buckets 3311s similarly arranged as the belt and buckets 33 and 3| and moves up the leg 29 and down the leg 28. Both series of buckets are powered by the same motor in the elevator head andrunoff dual pulleys in single heads so that they both move in the legs simultaneously and'at the same speed and in the same directions. Th second series of buckets 33 normally receives the dry grain from the dryer. and is consequently referred to at times as the dry leg.

At the bottom of the elevator 13 there are the hoppers 20 and 22 being mounted on opposite sides of the boot I9 with the hopper 20 communicating with the up side of both series of buckets and the hopper 22 communicating with both sides on the down side thereof. In the present state of the art, the hopper on the up side communicates only with the wet leg and the one on the down side only with the dry leg. Because of this arrangement, moist grain from the wet bin is fed into a hopper that can deliver it to only one series of buckets and dry grain from the dryer is fed into a hopper that can deliver it only to one series of buckets. As a result the time required to fill or empty the dryer is determined by the capacity of buckets on only one belt while at the same time the buckets on the other be t run empty. The use of the buckets on both belts for filling or emptying the dryer is therefore one of the aims of my invention. This is accomplished by my hopper selector and discharge box which I will now describe.

The hoppers 20 and 22 are of the usual type having the open top and inclined surface as shown in Fig. 1. However, as described above, each of these hoppers on its respective side of the boot l9 communicates with both series of buckets 3| and 33 at its respective position. Secured to the open top of each hopper 20 and 22 is a vertical rectangular open bottom hopper selector 34 and 35 respectively as shown in figure. The top of these hopper selectors are shown with open tops for purposes of illustration, but it is pointed out that it may be desired to provide a cover for them especiallyif they are located outof-doors. A portion of each outer side of each hopper at the top thereof is preferably cut away as at 36 to receive grain from the be ts 2i and 23. On opposite sides of each hopper I provide a slot 31 transversely its height in which there is slidably arranged the selector plates 38 and 39, respectively. By inserting those plates in the slots on either side of the hopper selectors, communication with one or the other of the series of buckets is closed as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5. By removing the plates entirely from the selectors, grain delivered thereto will be able to be picked up by both series of buckets. selector plates are used, the inner end drops downwardly to close off access to. one series of buckets for which the grain is intended; The outer end of each plate 38 and 39 is bent to form the stop lips 40 and 4| so that the plate will not fall into the hopper when positioned as shown in Fig. 3. These plates are easily positioned or removed as described and this can be done manually without the need for any tool. The construction of these hopper selector plates embody but one form of device to selectively direct the flow of grain as described. It is possible to use flipper plates or the like for this purpose without departing from the object of my invention. H

The discharge box l4 referred-to above com- When' the lirise xa casi 42 having a "plurality of conical shaped exits 4,3, 44 and 45, respectively, in the bottom thereof and adjacent each other as shown in Fig.2- 'I he casing .42 is mounted at the top of the elevator 3 and is .sccuredato, andcommuniates wi h th ndersideof the head .25..so tha as the buckets 3| and 33 Pass through the head toward the down legs, the grain therein will The dumpedi-ntothe diseharge box as indicated by the arrows in Fig. f1. The exits 43, 44 and 45 respectively communicate with the spouts I6, 11 and I5 so that grain from the discharge box can at times flow-therefrom to either the wet or dry bins or to the dryer. Within the casing 42 there is a bafile member146 extending downwardly and inwardlyin the path of how of grain fallingfrom the buckets 3-] as shown in Fig. 2. A stop'member4.-| extends downwardly into the casing 42 from a point adjacent the outside edge of the line ,of travel of the buckets 33. A movablefiipper plate 48 -ispivotally secured between theexits 44 and 45 and extends transversely the length of the casing. This plate 48 is manually movable by the means of the chain49 secured to the control bar 501:0 direct the passage of grain out of the discharge box as follows. As shown in Fig. 2 the flipper plate 48 engages the stop member 41 so that the discharge from both series of buckets will flow out either exits 43 or 44; In theenlarged diagrammatic sketch of the discharge box in Fig. 6 the plate 48 is shown in vertical position whereby grain from the wetleg flows through exit 44 and grain from the dry leg flows through exit 45. The corresponding diagram in Fig. 7 illustrates the plate 48 when engaging the baflle 46 so that the discharge from both series of buckets flow through exit '45.

Thusconstructed and arranged as herein described, my'irnproved system and means therefore for the movement and distribution of free flowing materials will operate in the following manner.

The wet or moist grain to be dried which is in thestorage bin l2 must be transferred to the dryer tower l8. This is accomplished by removing the grain from the bottom of the .;bin on the belt .21 and feeding it into the hopper selector 34. If the dryer is being loaded initially, the quicker this can be done, the more time is saved andthe sooner-the drying can commence. Therefore, by removing the selector plate 38 from the hopperselector 34 grain from thewet-bin 12 is carried on the-feed means -2| and is delivered to the up sideof both-series of buckets 3| and 33, thereby doubling the loading capacity and halving the time normally found in present type operations. r

The buckets 3| and-33 will carry the moist grain to the elevator head -25 where-as they start downwardly the grain is spilled into the discharge box |4. The upper entrance into-this box is in communication with both series of buckets 3| and 33and the-barrier .48-when positioned as shown in Figs. -,2 and 4 closes oh the exit .45 to the dry bin U. The .bafile member 48'aids in defleeting thegrain toward theexit l l from which the Sl Qut earries the grain .by gravity to the drying towerxl'fl. When .the dryer is full the grain will begin to pile up within the'box l4 above the exit .44 as indicated by the-curved dotted line in Fig. 2 and .asgrain continues to be delivered to the. discharge box thegrain will overflow into .exit 43 and becarried by the spout l6 back to the binil 2.

once the dry r has been filled and theidnying process commenced the hopper selector plates and flipper plate 48 in the discharge box are arranged as illustrated in .Fig. 6. The normal drying operation contemplates moist grain carried from the bin 12 up one leg only to the discharge box .to be fed into the dryer and dry grain being carried from the bottom of the dryer up one leg only to the box I4 for delivery to the dry bin I]; This is accomplished by positioning the selector plate .33 in the hopper selector 34 so that it closes oil access by the wet grain to the buckets 33 and delivers :it .only to the up side of the buckets 3|. In the dischargebox the flipper plate is positioned between the .two series of buckets so that .grain entering :from the wet bin in buckets .33 is directed toward exits 4'4 .and '43 and grain entering from buckets :3.| is directed to exit 45 to return .to dry storage. For this operation the selector plate 3.9 inselector 35 is arranged to close off access of the dry grain to the buckets 3| and deliver it only to:buckets 33 which carries it to the box I4 for delivery to exit 45 as stated above. Dry grain is, of course, fed from the bottom of the dryer to the elevator by the belt 23. This operation as shown in'Fig. 7 is referredto as continuous drying.

For a ,re-run of wet grain through the dryer or for what is known as batch drying, reference is made to Fig. 8. This procedurecontemplates rerunning the dryer load of grain through the dryer without taking more wet grain from the binl2. To accomplish this the .outlet from bin l2 to'the conveyor 2| is closed and :the selector plate :39 for the hopper 22 is either removed or positioned to close off either of the buckets 3| or 33. Normally in a re-run the grain taken from thedryer will not travel at a speed necessitating the use of both series of buckets. Therefore, I show in Fig. 8 grain from the dryer being delivered to the wet buckets 3| for redelivery to the discharge box in which the flipper plate 48 is positioned as in Fig. 7 so that grain from the wet buckets falls into exit 44 andback to the dryer. The use of the buckets 3 I here is merely a matter of choice and buckets 33 could beused by positioning the, barrier 48 as shown in Fig. 2.

When it is desired to completely empty the dryer such as when all moist grain has been emptied from bin l2, or otherwise, the arrangement as shown in Fig. .l is used. There, the outlet from bin J2 to conveyor 2| is closed if asupply of wet grain remains therein and the selector plate'39 is removed from the hopper selector .35. This permits the conveyor 23 to deliver grain from the bottom of the dryer to both series of buckets through hopper 22. The flipper plate 48 is positioned as shown in Fig. 7 so that it overlaps and engages the top of the baffle 46 and thereby closesall exits from the box l4 except 45 to grain delivered to this point by both series-of buckets. Consequently, the grain emptied from the dryer will be delivered to the dry bin II and the capacity of both buckets 3| and 33 is available to materially shorten the time required for this operation over present methods.

The saving in time brought about by'my inventionherein disclosed is of considerable importance to grain elevator operations especially where .man power, time and expense are important factors. By using my invention, anelevator operator can now accomplish more in, one working day than was heretofore possible. Likes the-shortenin of the time element permits t r se ice o aust marsandcnab e h or tr: v I

a'tor to more-efficiently handle business -espec 113] i 94 eeisehe .e TQX gamet s as ving an entr nce comrn .i yetine m i c it v n'-'-:a i:system i jQl'i' mo net letrlbutme gr inncorneseedrorzzthelikem 1 "due set: oracle-e: vatorslthatz top erate simultaneouslygqeach of Said i elevatorsmayingadiacen receiving 'endsiand ade jacent dischargingr: ends hopper :mounted won saidwreceiving endsgandicapablefofzcommunicate handling deyicesga pluralityiofeiexitsin saidsdise ingwith ieitherlwof said elevators, vmeanswwithin charge;box;iandsmeans mithinasaiddischarge box sa d h pp f r s t v y closing t mmuni forselectivelyidirecting theeflovnoi materials-from cation shot-ween :sai'drrhoppenuandg eitherzofe, said either-lofasaidzdevices at'xtimegu-"ndgfrgm but 1 elevators; asa-idi.meansbeingiiremovable rwhereby saididevicesa ti t said hopp :1- :In a systemfor amoving a distributin flowing-rm ateri'als-yia: pair: of: material- 'haindlii vices-that:are adjacentzeach othe ate simultaneously and each' liating a receivin'glend and'al material discharging end, a 'hopper positioned atthe receiving end of said material bananas-"devises and capable of commu i tinaew th ac -iotsaidedevicessimse1ector plate within said hopper capable 10f; closing the communicatignibetween, said hopper and either of said material handling dvic "*{a discharge box positioned at the discharg e'n'd of said nflait rial ff gem:

charge box} v v secured within said discharge' b directing the flowp fnnaterials-gfrom either of said. devices at times and from both of said devices at times through one or more d e xits. l 3'; In a'system for moving and distributing small grain, corn, seed or the like, in a grain ing with either of said elevators, a hopper selecelevator installation, comprising; a dual set of tor plate slidably mounted within said hopper and grain elevating machinery that operates simulcapable of closing the communication between ml y; each of said sets of grain elevating said hopper and either of said elevators; said machinery having a grain receiving e and hopper selector plate being removable whereby grain i r n a pp r p n d a said hopper is in communication with both of said the receiving end of said sets of gr in el v elevators, a discharge box mounted on said dis m in y and apable of communicating with charge ends of said elevators and having an en= each of said sets of grain elevating machinery, a trance communicating with each of said eleva= means within said hopper for selectively closing tors, a first exit in said discharge boX designed the communication between said hopp and to direct the flow of grain to a point of deposit, either of said sets of grain elevating machinery, a second exit in said discharge box designed to a discharge box positioned at the discharge end direct the flow of grain to a second point of deof said sets of grain elevating machinery, a plnposit, a third exit in said discharge box designed rality of exits in said s h r b n m n to direct the flow of grain to a third point of within said discharge box for selectively directdeposit, and means within said discharge box ing the flow of grain from either or" said, sets of capable of directing the flow of grain from said gram elevating machinery at times and from endofelther or'hoth of said elevators 11 into said first and secondexits at times and into said third exit onlyat times.

7. In a system for moving and distributing grain, corn, seed or the like, a dual setof elevators that operate simultaneously; each of ,said elevators having adjacent receiving ends and ,adjacent discharging ends, a hopper mounted on said receiving ends and capable of communi ating with either of .Said elevators, a hopper selector plate slidably mounted within said hopper and capable of closing the communication between said hopper and either of said elevators; said hopper selector plate being removable whereby said hopper is in communication with .both of said elevators, a discharge box mounted on said discharge ends of said elevators and havingan entrance in the top thereof communicating with each of said elevators, a first exit in the bottom of said discharge box designed-to direct theflow of grain to a pointof deposit, a second exitin't-he bottom of said discharge box designed to direct the flow of grain to a second point of deposit, a third exit in the'bottom of said discharge box designed to direct the flow of grain to a third point of deposit, a flipper plate member hingeably secured at one end Within said discharge box-at a point intermediate said first and third exits, means for facilitating the manual movement of said flipper plate to different positions; said flipper plate capable of being moved to direct the flow of grain from said discharge endo'f either orboth of said elevatorsinto said first and second exits at times and into said third exit only at times. i

'8. A discharge box designed to :be mounted on the discharge end of a dual set of elevators in :a rain elevator installation, an entrance in said discharge box designed to communicate with the discharge end of either and both elevators of a dual elevator arrangement, a plurality of exits ,in said discharge box, and means within said, dis charge box designedto selectively direct the ;flow of grain from either of said sets of elevators at times and from both of said sets of elevators :at times throughone or more of said exits.

,9. ,Ardischarg box designed to be mounted on the discharge end of .a dual set of elevators ,in a grain elevator installation, an entrance ,in' said discharge box designed to communicate with .the discharge end of either and both elevators of a dual elevator arrangement, a first-exit in said discharge box designed to direct the flow of grain to a point of deposit, a second exit in said discharge box designed to direct the flow of grain to a second point of deposit, a third exit in said discharge box designed to direct the fiowofgrain to a third point of deposit, and means within 12 said ,discharge box capable of directin the flow of grain from said discharge end of either or both of..said elevators intosaid first and second exits at ,timesand into said thirdlexit only at times.

1.0. In a system ,for moving and distributing free ,flowing materials, a pair of material handlingdevices that are adjacent each other and that =operatesimultaneously and each having a material receiving end and a material discharging end, a hopper positioned at the receivin end of said materia'lhandling devices and capable of communicating with each of, said devices, ameans within said hopper for selectively closing the communication between said hopper and either of said material handling devices; said means being removable whereby said hopper is in communication with both or said devices, a discharge .box positioned at thedischargeend of said material handling devices, a plurality of exits in said discharge box, and means within said discharge box for selectively directing the flow of materials from either of said devices at times and from both of said devices at times-through one or more of said exits.

11. In a system 'for moving and distributing free flowing materials, a pair of material handling devices that are adjacent each other and that operate simultaneously and each having a material receiving end and a material discharging end, a hopper positioned at the receiving end of said material handling devices and incommunication with both of said devices, means associated with said hopper for selectively closing the communication between said hopper and either of said" material handling devices, a discharge box positioned at the discharge end of said ma'terial'handling devices,a plurality of exits in said discharge box, and means within said discharge box for selectively directing the flow of materials from either of said devices at times and from both of said devices at times through one or more of said exits.

ERICH RA'HLSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 925;817 Lorch June 22, 1909 1,096,149 Bragstad May 12, 1914 1,999,420 Parker Apr. 30, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 487,641 Germany Dec. 12, 1929 

